Throwing the paper in the trash, I took a deep breath and schooled my face. I couldn’t let him frazzle me. I would attend my meeting and then find him. He needed to know about the baby. This was not the reconnection I wanted when I first looked for him. That had been more about the guilt I had for leaving and the completely irrational sense of missing him that overwhelmed me from time to time. Must be pregnancy hormones. That’s a thing. Right?
First things first, I needed to get to my meeting. If I was lucky, they might be dawdling and drinking coffee instead of starting on time. A handful of steps and a turn around the corner stole that last bit of hope from me. The door was shut. Stopping briefly, I decided going in was better than knocking first, and twisted the handle before inching it open.
The voice that filled the air as the seal of the door broke shook me to my core. It was Porter. My Porter. The father of my baby, our baby. What was he doing here? His voice stopped as the door fully opened. My cubicle mates and Francine were now staring at me as Porter continued to speak, breaking long enough to tell me to take a seat.
He was saying something about new technologies, and that was all I got from his talk. My brain was buzzing a mile a minute, my eyes glued to his mouth, wanting him to be speaking to me, only me, kissing me. Heck, a little nibble would be nice, too. After what seemed like a couple of minutes, but the clock indicated was actually an hour, the people around me started to stand, and I slammed into reality.
Fuck, yes. I missed the entire thing. Why was Porter here, and why was he the only one speaking?
“Do not think your tardiness went unnoticed, Mr. Martin,” Francine announced a little louder than necessary.
“I apologize. I was in the restroom.” Great. Now everyone still in the room thought I was having gastrointestinal issues. Not that I cared what they thought, except for Porter. The last thing I wanted him thinking about was me on the toilet.
“Make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Who was I? I didn’t “yes ma’am, no sir” people. It wasn’t even regional here, so I couldn’t use that as an excuse. I needed to get out of here before I made an even bigger fool of myself, if that were possible.
I started to rise when a hand on my shoulder stilled my movement.
“Mr. Martin. If you don’t mind, I would like to start with you, since you are still here. Is that fine with you, Francine?” Start with me about what? Crap. He probably spoke ad nauseum on the topic while I was zoned out. I needed to get a grip and fast.
“Absolutely, Mr. Dahl. If I were to pick one of our best new recruits, he’d make the short list, his out-of-character tardiness notwithstanding.” She made her way out the door, closing it behind her. We were alone. This is what I had been wanting for so long, but now that I was here and there was a baby on the way, the conversations I ran through my head no longer fit. So much for mapping out things.
“Porter, what are you really doing here?” So much for looking professional. Now that I was starting to adjust to the notion that I had found him, I needed to know all the answers. I didn’t even know all the questions yet, but the answers were like the air that I breathed, a necessity for life.
“Did you listen to my speech at all?” He sat across from me, shaking his head slightly. Was he amused by my pathetic listening skills, or was that pride that he stole my brain? At least it wasn’t anger. I couldn’t take anger. Not now. Not when we had who knew how long together before he needed to leave and go who knew where.
“I tried,” I confessed.
“So that’s a no?” Oh yeah, he was amused. There were worse things.
“That’s an I was in shock to see you.” Shocked, excited, terrified, amazed, grateful. The words to describe my feelings were as varied as they were plentiful.
“Did you think you could work here and not run into me?”
“I thought…you owned your own business…I didn’t know you worked at Dahl Tech.” Had he lied to me? It was a one-night stand, so deceit was probably the norm, but I thought we had a real connection, and the idea he might’ve been deceptive to get into my pants had an uneasy feeling settling into my gut.
“I think we need to start at the beginning.” He stood, walked around the table, and offered me his hand in a formal manner. “I’m Montgomery Dahl, and you are?”
“Herbert Michael Martin,” I squeaked out as he took my hand, squeezing it instead of pumping it in a handshake.
“And you go by Michael because…?” His thumb swiped across the back of my hand sending messages to the rest of my body. Crap on a cracker. He was my boss. He was my freaking boss. Sure, he had offered me a job that night, but hormones were flailing, and he was mostly joking, or so I thought, or at least rationalized at the time. But now, now I was working for him. And from the looks of it, he was as out of the loop about it as I was.
“Herbert. My name is Herbert, and you have to ask?” I teased, glad he still held my hand as he sat beside me. “Is Porter your middle name, too?”
“No. Betsy gave me the nickname.”
“You look like a Porter,” I offered. He was hot enough to pull off a Montgomery, but changing it would’ve been my first choice, too, especially as a child. Heck, I still hated Herbert, and, in theory, it was a name you grew into. I still call lie on that one.
“And you look remarkably like the man who ran out on me without a word.” And there was the hint of anger I’d been expecting. Well-deserved anger, at that.
Chapter Fourteen
Porter
What was it about this man that made me lose my cool? I put on my boss face. “Anyway, Mr. Martin, why don’t you come with me, and we can get started?”
The idea to meet with all the new hires had been a spur-of-the-moment inspiration. I needed to capture Michael’s attention, and if I wasn’t singling him out, how could he argue? The downside was that I would have to have one on ones with at least six other new employees, but really, that wasn’t that big of a downside. The reason I didn’t make an effort to get to know most people until they’d been with the company for six months was that we saw the highest turnover in that time span. It was all about the value of the investment.
Getting one conversation with Michael’s undivided attention was completely worth adding the other six.
I didn’t have to turn around to know he was following me. Besides the quiet thump of his shoes, that was the kind of person Michael was, by his own admission. He stuck to the rules; he followed the plan; he rarely stepped outside his expectations. But when he did...
I had to stop thinking about those kinds of things while wearing a suit. Someone might think I was hosting the Russian circus in my pants.
I sent a notification for the valet to bring my car around as Michael and I entered the elevator. We were alone.
“Are we going to your office?” Michael asked.
“No.”
He fidgeted a moment before asking, “Are we going to a conference room?”
“No.” I was enjoying his discomfort. That was unkind of me, wasn’t it? But I’d been off balance and uncomfortable for over two months because of him. He could handle the next ten minutes.
“Do you want to tell me where we’re going?” His voice was breathy with exasperation.
“Not particularly.” I had to contain a laugh. My anger was fading as I regained control of the situation. I would have my answers sooner or later. I would also have him, sooner or later. Of the two, if I had to choose which to have first, it would be Michael. Answers could come after.
His discomfort was rapidly morphing to irritation. Red was creeping up his cheeks, and his eyes were sparking. Damn if that didn’t make me want to push his buttons even more.
“Mr. Dahl.” His tone was all broken glass and iron bars as the elevator door opened. “I will have no qualms about filing a suit for sexual harassment, if need be.”
He was like an angry kitten, all blond fluff and tiny claws. I suspected he wouldn’t find that image as amus
ing as I did, so I kept it to myself. “I assure you, your honor is safe with me.”
He raised one eyebrow. “My honor can take a jump. But, am I safe with you?”
That was the question of the day, wasn’t it? As curious as I was to know the full story, why he had left, what the last two months had been like for him, the urge to undress him and return to where my worship had left off was entirely too tempting. I’d had the experience of tasting his release, of pleasing him with my tongue for however long it took until he was a quaking mess beneath me. I needed him in my mouth again. The image of the man before me today, relaxed casual but put together, was a far cry from the ripped jeans and flannel of two months ago. But at his soul, I could tell he was the same, no matter what clothes he wore. Or didn’t wear, as the case may be.
“Well? Am I safe with you?” he repeated as we stepped outside the building. My car was waiting for us.
“For now,” I said finally.
He appraised me, eyes raking me from head to toe. I wondered what he saw. I wondered if he liked what he saw. I hadn’t looked any different at Nick’s, with a similar suit and tie, but the setting was certainly different. And who knew what his last image of me had been. I could have been drooling all over my pillow. Hell, I could have been drooling all over him. I didn’t think I would have done that. I hoped I wouldn’t have. And I really hoped he hadn’t noticed that used condom clinging to my dick. The only thing worse would have been if I’d jizzed in my pants like a damn teenager.
I opened the passenger door for him before the valet could steal my thunder. He slid into the car without looking at me. I knew he liked to feel in control. I understood that feeling because I was always in control. I had no problem letting him feel like he had a grasp on the situation, though. I knew what the reality was. Getting into his good graces was going to be a challenge. Until now, I’d had a strict no-employees policy. But until now, no one had tempted me to break it. I knew I was past temptation. If he’d let me, Herbert Michael Martin was going to be my undoing.
Chapter Fifteen
Michael
I knew I shouldn’t be following him blindly out of the office, and goodness knew where. I was technically his employee now, and while he had referred to me as Mr. Martin more than once, there was no denying the heat I saw in his eyes or that I reciprocated. I asked him where we were going multiple times along the way, and each time he gave me a nonanswer. The only thing I knew for sure at this point was that if I’d been listening to him during the meeting, my brain would be filled with more knowledge and fewer questions.
If only he knew how distracting he was. Or maybe he did and that was why he was tormenting me so. I needed to tell him about the baby. But how? Thanks for an awesome night and for knocking me up? or It seems to me you need to read the condom package directions better next time? or Remember that time I ran out on you after you had me seeing stars? Yeah, I kinda didn’t leave alone…?
There was going to be no easy way to do this. I had to rip it off like a Band-Aid. But not here, in a car going who knew where. Truthfully, I didn’t care where we were going. Being with him had me feeling settled for the first time since I got here, since even before I took the test. It was selfish of me to want to hold onto that feeling for longer, especially when doing so meant postponing telling him. What kind of a jerk had I become? No, not a jerk. A lonely man, in a new town, facing an uncertain future after taking a detour of mammoth proportions.
We pulled off to the side of the road, in front of a huge hotel. Surely, he didn’t think… Who was I kidding? Even if he did, I wasn’t going to turn him down. I had somehow become that pathetic.
“A hotel?” And by “hotel,” I meant a ritzy place I couldn’t afford to walk into.
“Lunch.” He smirked. Oh, he loved where my brain had gone. Had his gone there, too? Did he think about our night together? A man like him could have any man he wanted. My lack of experience paired with my poor attire that evening and my lean frame couldn’t have possibly lived up to the caliber of man he normally had. The thought of that pissed me off. Not that I wasn’t good enough, but that there were others. What was wrong with me?
“In a hotel?” I clarified because I needed something to say, and my brain was producing no coherent words. How had I gone from work to a date? Or was this a date? I didn’t even know.
“In the hotel.” The smirk was back, this time paired with a wink. If he weren’t so sexy, I’d probably be mad.
“Just making sure.” I sighed as I went for the door, but his hand on my knee stopped me in my tracks.
“You sound disappointed.” Was that hope I heard in his voice? Not that I wasn’t going to quash it the moment I confessed the end result of our first encounter.
“I’m all sorts of things right now,” I mumbled as I popped the door open and climbed out.
I swore I heard him whisper, “Me, too,” just as I shut the door a little too loudly.
The restaurant was the kind with zero prices listed on the menu, letting me know I was beyond underdressed. Not one person gave me a weird look, though, as Porter walked in and pretty much told them we would be having a private table. I was happy for the seclusion, and hearing him getting all bossy like that did things to me it shouldn’t. He had that same quality in the bedroom. But that wasn’t something I should be allowing my mind to wander to. Not here, in public, or semiprivate as the case might be, and not after only having spent most of one night with him. Plus, the privacy would hide my already-throbbing cock. Bonus.
Porter held my chair out for me like a true gentleman, and when he pushed me in, his breath caressed my neck as he exhaled, “So sexy.” I was a goner to be sure.
When the orders were taken and the staff no longer in earshot, Porter finally asked his first question, the one I was dreading but knew was coming.
“Why were you gone when I woke up?”
There was no good answer. I’d spent far too many sleepless nights thinking about just that. I had connected with him. I liked him more than just because of his sexiness. Something about him touched my heart in a way no one else had. Maybe it was the hurt he wore on his face as we talked about Ms. Betsy. Maybe it was the way he took what he wanted, knowing it was what I wanted, too. Maybe it was his intelligence. Whatever it was hadn’t dissipated, as today reaffirmed. It wasn’t a memory morphed into something better than it was, which I had tried to convince myself of numerous times.
“I panicked.” And that was the reality of it. I freaked out and ran.
“Because you don’t do things like that.”
How did he see me? Really see me, when no one else, not even my brother did. He reached across the table allowing his fingers to connect with mine, stopping short of holding hands. None of the anger I had expected appeared.
“No, I don’t.” I flipped my hand over, encouraging him to increase our contact. For a moment, I thought he was going to move his away, but he met my eyes and seemed to change his mind, placing his palm on mine. “I plan my life. Always have. And then, boom, you walk in and all of a sudden, I want to, no, need to take a chance. If it makes you feel better, I asked around to see if I could find you, but I didn’t get far.”
“You did?” He sounded shocked. Did he not know the things he did to me?
“I did. I wanted to thank you. Because of you, I took the right chances and got a good job.” Brilliant, I made it look like a polite gesture when it was so much more than that. I needed to kick my own ass later.
“The one I had already offered you.”
“Which I only figured out today.” Because that was how my life worked. “What would’ve been different if I had stayed?”
“I would’ve spent the morning with you in my arms.”
And then we would have had an awkward goodbye, I added silently. “So basically, nothing but more naked time?” I teased, fearing the moment was getting too far into territory we should stay away from.
“It felt like it could be more to me.” He laced hi
s fingers with mine, giving them a slight squeeze.
“Me, too.”
Chapter Sixteen
Porter
Now that I had Michael here in front of me, I felt this insane desire to snatch him up and never let him go. I had started this lunch just looking for answers. Now I had only one more question—when could I get him in bed again?
Instead, I steered to a safer topic and said, “I’m glad you decided to take me up on my job offer, finally, no matter how you found it.”
His eyes flashed with the indignation I expected. Damn, I loved it when he lit up like that. It had been years since anyone had really challenged me.
“I got this job on my own, thank you very much.”
When he got all uptight like that, I just wanted to push him up against the wall, kiss him senseless, make him beg for more, and then fuck his mouth with my cock, guiding his head with my fists in his hair, destroying this smooth, put-together image and leaving him with swollen lips, glassy eyes, and roughed-up sexy hair.
I shifted in my seat and tried to adjust myself discreetly. I’d been half hard since seeing him in the hallway, and spending more time in his presence wasn’t doing me any favors.
“So tell me how you found out about the job.”
His posture relaxed somewhat, and he gave me a hint of a smile. “I will admit that I do owe you some thanks for putting the idea of looking for internships into my head.”
“I would think you owe me for a lot more than that. There wouldn’t be internships if I hadn’t created the company, after all.”
Billionaire's Surprise Baby: An Mpreg Romance Page 5